Yokai Illustrated Guide VOL.2: Artist Showcase

Delve deep into the last bastion of Japanese art history – "Yokai-ga" (Yokai paintings). Yokai-ga, passed down from ancient times to the present day, is like a kaleidoscope reflecting the deepest parts of the Japanese psyche. In a realm that should express anxiety, fear, and darkness, one can instead find humor, irony, and even amusement. It is an important reference for understanding contemporary Japanese art, folk customs, and religious beliefs. This issue will feature approximately 150 yokai-ga created by renowned artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Kawanabe Kyōsai, and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, from the mid-Edo period, when Japanese culture flourished, to the turbulent early Meiji period. How are yokai-ga, which underwent transformations during periods of significant historical change, interpreted from an art historical perspective by people today, much like ukiyo-e reflected its contemporary era? We invite you to enjoy them with us.